I can't watch this movie without crying at some point. Not many movies I can say that to. I think it is a hard story to sit and watch if you truly take in what it means. A boy unwelcomed in society because he is not like the others. In this movie it is his scissor hands and reclusive personality. It is a metaphor for Tim Burton feeling like his unique artistic skills and unconventional ideas made him a stranger in the movie industry and other aspects of his life. To me it is symbolizing a world that is trying to find its identity, trying to do good, as well as trying to make sure everyone else conforms with the unwritten standards. I also related to my own personal life and how I interact with life on a daily basis. And I can also related it to epinions in a way, but that's another story.
I'm not wild about Danny Elfman in general but this movie is one exception. I absolutely love this soundtrack, and I own it. There is certainly a lot more emotion coming into this score and there is some bias on my part because of what this movie means to me; but it is very well done. Definitely an album worth buying.
The plot This movie is a fantasy, a fairytale, or a mythology (depending on how you want to look at it.) It is not meant to be real or taken literally. I think you will enjoy the movie more if you take this approach when viewing it. If you viewed it as reality then your mind would probably go numb with all the inconsistencies as well as the problems with trying to define what decade this movie occurred in. And the people just are not realistic, rather each is a personality type. Some of these are exaggerated types you would find in real life.
Edward is a creation of an inventor. For whatever reason the inventor put scissor hands in place of real hands. The inventor did intend to give him real hands but something happened (you'll see what happened). Edward was found alone in the top floor of this mansion and brought into this surreal world where the public attempts to accept this "creative genius." But alas you find that he cannot be accepted in an immoral world that only looks at what is on the surface.
The acting The acting is marvelous for the two leads. This movie does not take place in a typical world. Rather this world is based on the past and the people in it are exaggerated. This is not a movie of reality, rather it is a metaphor for a particular persons life. I personally feel it is also a metaphor for my life, but that is another story. I know the director takes it as a metaphor for his life in the industry. Johnny Depp is a marvelous actor and made Edward come alive in such a unique way. He didn't play it as a retard or a wolf child. Both ideas could have been possible and would have been closer to reality. But this movie is not about reality. So Johnny played him as a creative genius that was educated to a certain degree including speech, just not educated socially. Dianne Wiest played the role of Peg Boggs, the Avon lady and mother of two who befriended Edward up in the mansion. I am captivated by her performance as a loving mother and caring person. Definitely stereotyped but she added a great deal more depth to the character through her vision of the character. She also added a level of humanity to it that was lacking in the other characters. Out of everybody except Edward, you really do become emotionally attached to her character also. I feel sad for her almost as much as Edwards character. Winona Ryder played the daughter and love interest. Her character was fairly shallow and was over shadowed by the mother. And for whatever reason all I see is 2nd gen, but that might just be me.
The story and writing As I mentioned, this movie is a metaphor. I actually relate to the author and take this story as a metaphor for my life. I think that is one of the great aspects of this movie is so many of us can relate to this movie at that level. It is this aspect that makes it so great. The writing is excellent. I stereotypes each of the characters yet gives them enough room to act freely (or it looked like that to me.)
The character development This is a weak aspect of the film. The other characters were pretty much in a mold and never developed. There really was nothing to explore in the other characters.
Edward was moderately developed but not to the level I would have liked. This was done with certain tense interactions and some really well done flashbacks describing Edwards creation and early development. You can argue that if you truly developed Edward to the level I wanted would have focused on Edward too much and not enough on the "world" he was in. So with that in mind I am not very disappointed with his development.
The pacing This is not an action packed movie that will keep you glued to the tube. So there are parts that will bore you a little (and if your under the age of 10 then most of the movie will bore you.) I guess that is expected with a movie like this, but I feel that a couple of scenes could have been deleted to make the movie go a bit faster, but that's just my opinion. Overall pacing isn't bad.
Replay value I don't really like watching this movie because it is incredibly depressing to me. Seems kind of funny considering how high a score I gave it. Emotionally it brings out a lot of demons for me, as well as sympathetic pains for the lead character. But when I am in one of those moods I am glued to it and really enjoy this movie. Because of the demons it brings out in me, I probably only watch this once every 3-5 years.
Should children watch it? I have no problem with older children watching it, but I can guarantee they will be a bit bored. Heck, I get bored in spots. But there is quite a bit of blood, some violence, and death. Parents should preview it first, but like I said children will have a tendency to be bored with it.
Genre: Fantasy / Fairytale-mythology
The key players Director: Tim Burton Writers: Tim Burton & Caroline Thompson Music: Danny Elfman
My End Line. This is an emotional movie for me with a lot that I can relate to. No I'm not an artist, nor do I write well. My idiosyncrasies are in other aspects of life. So I am already biased. I also recommend this movie because of how shallow we are in society. The stereotypes are easily recognizable and quite common. Everyone can relate to it.
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